Another intense training session took place this weekend as our team get ever closer to the Kilimanjaro climb date. Three of the charity champions; ‘Mad’ Marc Eckley, ‘Handsome’ John Harris and ‘Jelly Baby’ Deb took to the hills of Tintern on yet another scorching Sunday trek. As one of the team’s preferred locations, Tintern offers a challenging 12 mile route with some extraordinary views. On this occasion the team were travelling over some deep gravel terrain; a major challenge for John’s chair, with Marc and Deb giving a hand when it got too deep or steep.

The reality of the oncoming trek really kicked in when John fell from his chair whilst being pushed up a particularly steep hill. Although he gained a few scratches on his back, John got straight back on the horse; he’s always maintained that his Kilimanjaro climb will see him fall out of the chair countless times. In an interview with the South Wales Argus, John said “I need to be mentally strong. The wheels will be sticking and I will be thrown out of the chair, so it will not be easy.” The trek is difficult for most people but for John it will require extra energy and determination as he’ll face challenges the others in the team won’t have to.

On the brighter side, we also received a £5 donation to the Kilimanjaro fund from Marilyn Simmons. Marilyn was enjoying the sights of Tintern when she bumped into the charity champions during their training session. Having heard of their massive challenge and the Fullcircle Foundation’s work, she was generous enough to make a donation on the spot.